Environment Committee vote on Basic Regulation – 8 May

2012-05-08, 23:21 | Updated: 2012-05-02, 10:59

On 8 May 2012, MEPs in the Environment Committee will vote on Chris Davies’ draft opinion on the Basic regulation.

Among the proposals that MEPs will vote on:
* Fish stocks should be restored to levels above those which can produce the maximum sustainable yield by 2015, and to levels which can produce maximum economic yield by 2022.
* Multiannual management plans should be in place by 2014 or 2015, depending on the area.
* There should be serious penalties for infringing the discard ban: suspended allocation of fishing opportunities to the vessel in question for a period of up to three years.

In an open letter, Chris Davies writes, “MEPs vote on the 105 amendments I have proposed in a report for the Environment Committee, and the 457 amendments that have been tabled to it by other MEPs. Despite all the work involved in preparing these we simply make recommendations to the Fisheries Committee that they can overturn.”

Nevertheless, even if the Fisheries Committee were to overturn the recommendations of the Environment Committee, the opinion of the Environment Committee may play a role in deciding the final vote in plenary in September this year.